Wake up to more sleep

Cheating on Z's invites health problems, research shows

December 06, 2009|By Bob Condor, SPECIAL TO TRIBUNE NEWSPAPERS

Getting enough sleep? Sleep is the most underrated part of staying healthy, whether it's the holiday season or not. And let's settle this right now: Adults need seven to eight hours every night for optimal health.

But what makes this wellness strategy so effective -- and not just folksy health talk -- is the deeper benefits that regular sleep provides to the body. It might just be the best healthy step you can take during the holidays.

For example, studies show adults who regularly cheat themselves of sleep by two to three hours are much more likely to die of cardiovascular problems.

In 2008, British researchers found that women who sleep less than the suggested eight hours per night are at higher risk for heart disease than a man not getting the full number of hours. The key factor was raised inflammatory markers in the women's blood.

But, guys, don't get complacent. A landmark University of Chicago sleep lab study disrupted the sleep pattern of 20-year-old healthy male volunteers for 14 nights. By the end of the two-week period, the young males were tested out with blood chemistry equivalent to 70-year-old men with elevated heart disease and high blood pressure risks.

You can do it

There are a number of proven strategies to help encourage better nights of rest. Here are some of the most life-accessible ideas:

*Consider your daytime habits. Caffeine drinks past 2 p.m. can be problematic. Exercising within three hours of bedtime is a disrupter too. Don't eat too much or too little within those three hours before bed.

*The three-hour limit also applies to alcohol. Researchers might suggest a glass of wine is healthful in moderation, but studies show a nightcap is more stimulant than sedative. "You might fall asleep and get through a 90-minute cycle (our nights of rest come in 90-minute segments of deep and lighter sleep)," said Jim Maas, a sleep researcher at Cornell University. "The second half of your sleep is what's most affected by alcohol."

*Keep your bedroom cool; 57 degrees is best. Keep noise to a minimum or make it a constant hum if you can't control all sounds. In any case, darkness is essential for falling asleep and signaling the body it is time for deep rest.

*If you can't fall asleep or fall back asleep within 10 minutes, then get out of bed. Do light housework or read, keeping the lights low. Return to bed once you get drowsy.

What if you slip?

It might sound peculiar, but the best way to get more sleep is to wake up at roughly the same time every day, even weekends or after nights when you might stay up later. So if you go off track because of holiday gatherings or a work/school project, just keep waking up at the same time every day. Your body will make the adjustment for you; earlier bedtimes will become both your desire and necessity.

By the way, if you pride yourself on practically falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow, Maas said that means your body is likely sleep-deprived. The typical well-rested person requires 15 to 20 minutes to fall sleep, he said.

Best of all

Getting enough sleep makes a huge difference in our morning alertness and all-day physical performance. Some of the most intriguing new research gauges how lack of proper sleep diminishes our own personal levels of best output both physically and intellectually. We might still outperform others, say, on the job or as multitaskers, but getting enough sleep appears to allow you to live to your fullest potential. Maas estimates that an extra hour of sleep translates to a 25 percent increase in productivity for adults who get six hours or less per night. Insisting that you can prosper at six hours per night is only cheating your own upper limits.

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TRY THIS STRATEGY

Don't be kept awake by daytime problems. "I recommend that we all have a 'worry time' before bed," said sleep researcher Jim Maas. "Write down all of your problems on a list. Then put them to rest on the nightstand."